International Centre for Northern Governance and Development

The University of Saskatchewan has closed the International Centre for Northern Governance and Development (ICNGD), effective June 15, 2017. The annual targeted funding for this research centre was eliminated in this year’s provincial budget, as of April 30, 2017.

While the Centre will close on June 15, the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy (JSGS) will administer the two masters programs. Students currently enrolled in both the Master of Northern Governance and Development (MNGD) and the Joint Master of Governance and Entrepreneurship in Northern and Indigenous Areas (GENI) programs will be able to complete their degrees, and new applicants will be accepted into the GENI program only. Admissions for the MNGD program will be suspended for 2017-18 to enable a pause and reevaluation of the program.

Over its ten-year history, the ICNGD has successfully provided two “northern-tailored” graduate-level degree programs; the MNGD being the first degree offered by the U of S in the North, for the North and with the North. The GENI was the first international joint degree between Canada and Norway, and the first one in Western Canada. Combined, these programs have graduated more than 50 students. Furthermore, the Centre’s research has focused on concerns identified by Northerners in critical areas such as Northern Governance, First Nations and Resource Development, Northern Innovation, and Climate and Socio-Economics. The Centre attracted approximately $1.6 million in research funding.

The U of S has a strong commitment to collaborating with its Northern partners and is working towards identifying a comprehensive strategy for the North. Going forward, the U of S will collaborate with an expanded Northern Advisory Board to ensure that the voices and advice of these leaders, as well as industry, are heard during the university’s review of all of its activities and programs in the North.

About the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy

In June 2007, the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy (JSGS) was established as a joint collaboration between the University of Regina and the University of Saskatchewan, after extensive consultation with senior leaders in government, industry and academia. Since then the JSGS has swiftly become one of Canada’s leading policy schools for educating graduate students and public servants interested in and devoted to advancing public value.